


London's Calling

by SpencnerTibbsLuvr (KliqzAngel)



Series: The Challenges [8]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), NCIS
Genre: AU for Emily Prentiss' work history, AU for NCIS Season 13 and Beyond, Anti-Senior, M/M, OoC Alec Trevelyan, Possible Percieved Character Bashing, references to mental illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 06:50:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10916562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KliqzAngel/pseuds/SpencnerTibbsLuvr
Summary: When things come to a head between Tony and Gibbs in the bullpen, the last thing Tony expected was for Vance to be on his side and a promotion on top of it! Yet, three weeks later, he and his son TJ were headed to London. Along the way, there would be a new team, a new love, and a family he’d only ever dreamed of having.





	1. The Blowup

**Author's Note:**

> The mention of mental illness is kept as vague as possible. I honestly did not have one specific illness in mind. The Alec Trevelyan character is very OoC from the movie character. So, if you are not familiar with him, it's not needed. Q's identity is my own spin. I didn't intentionally bash any of the characters, but some came out more positively than others.
> 
> The story was written for the 2017 NCIS Reverse Big Bang challenge. HUGE Thanks to Solariana on LiveJournal for putting this together. Big thanks go out to Rivermoon1970 who was my hand holder and cheerleader and also musichick2004 for the gorgeous art that inspired this story.

Art was created by musichick2004 on LiveJournal

 

##  **Prologue:** _The Blowup_

“When I need you to tell me how to do my job or run a case, DiNozzo, I will let you know. It’s not your place, or your responsibility to tell me anything. Now get back to work, and see if you can manage to contribute something useful instead of sitting around sticking your nose in my business!”

Tony was standing in front of his boss’ desk staring at him in disbelief. Ever since the older man had come back from his latest injury, nothing the SFA did was good enough. Their relationship had been on a slow, steady decline ever since they brought Ziva back from Somalia all those years ago. Recently, though, it had become almost completely intolerable.

He had never been the type of agent, to just sit back and bite his tongue when he felt his boss was out of line. Sure, he’d taken plenty of insubordination from Ziva and McGee over the years. When he felt that they’d truly stepped over the line procedurally, he hadn’t kept his mouth shut. He may not have gotten any support for his complaints, or had anyone listen to his reprimands, but he couldn’t control other’s reactions to his protests.

More often than not Gibbs either told him to suck it up or told someone to ignore him. When he truly was worried though that they’d crossed the line legally, he’d always at the very least told Gibbs. Quite often he had also put a bug in the ear of someone at JAG so that they could prepare for any legal difficulties.

Fortunately, for the most part, Probie had shaped up his act without Ziva there whispering gleeful insubordination in his ear. Bishop was a promising rookie who Tony felt had a huge upside. So, they weren’t the problems, and complaining to Gibbs now wasn’t an option given the issue was the Supervisory Special Agent himself.

This current situation with Gibbs, though hadn’t even been one of those situations. There had been no previous arguments, and Tony had no issue with legally how the case was coming together. He’d simply suggested that possibly the man’s laser focus was too narrowed on one particular person, based on the new evidence that he’d found. Before he even had a chance to tell Gibbs what he’d found, though, he’d basically been told to sit down and shut up.

Just as he was about to turn and go back to his desk, he heard the Director call to him from the walkway above them. “Special Agent DiNozzo, if you could join me in my office, I would appreciate it.”

Looking up, Tony nodded to indicate that he understood, and moved to his desk to lock his computer before doing as asked. Before he even crossed the aisle, though, Gibbs was bellowing back at his boss. “Leon, I don’t need your interference. I can discipline my own team! We’re in the middle of a damned case, and we don’t have time to be pussyfooting around in your office.”

Tony froze and turned to look in disbelief at Gibbs. While the statement was true, as the man saw it anyway, he wasn’t sure calling your boss out in front of the whole floor was the way to go. Not to mention, since Vance was the ultimate boss just underneath SecNav herself, he could pretty much stick his nose in anything he would like. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to see him glaring angrily down at Gibbs’ desk.

“I don’t recall suggesting that your presence was either wanted or needed, Supervisory Special Agent Gibbs. Since you just basically informed the whole floor that you feel your SFA is pretty much worthless, I feel confident that you can do without him.”

Hurrying, Tony locked his computer as he had previously intended, and hurried around the divider to climb the stairs. He was not getting in the middle of this goat rope, especially when the Director didn’t seem to be done with his reprimand.

“And for the record, Gibbs, as the Director of this agency, I feel that it is the responsibility of every SFA working under me to voice any objections he or she may have with their direct supervisor when it comes to anything case related. That is as long as it is done in a respectful manner, of which I observed SFA DiNozzo attempting to do. The only person out of line at the moment that I can see is you. Check your email later. There will be a scheduled meeting with you and me tomorrow morning. Be sure you’re not late.”

Hoping that he didn’t look as wide-eyed as he felt, Tony took a quick peek down at his team. McGee was firmly focused on his monitor, and there was no way that wasn’t Abby that he was chatting with. Poor Bishop looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her, and Gibbs’ clenched jaw and murderous gaze suggested that it was going to be a very long rest of the day.

When Director Vance patted him on the shoulder and then moved around him to head to his office, glanced his way and then looked down over the bullpen one last time. He hoped that this meeting would make up for the shit storm that was gonna hit once he got back to his desk. Not for the first time since his boss’ return from being shot, he wondered if NCIS was really the place for him. He felt like he’d not only outgrown his team but his position.

He’d stayed this long because of a need for family that he felt that he was getting from this group of eclectic and sometimes dysfunctional people. He’d also stayed because of Gibbs himself. The early years of their relationship had planted the seeds for deep-rooted loyalty and affection for the man. Just because he didn’t always agree with him didn’t mean that he didn’t see the man as the closest thing to a real Father he had.

It was no secret that Senior was a craptastic Father, despite what Abby, Ziva, and Tim wanted to convince him of otherwise. Gibbs though had been someone that he’d quickly found he wanted to be like. He liked his morals and rules. He wanted to emulate his work ethic, and unwillingness to stop until the innocent got their justice. He wasn’t so crazy about the thought of long hours and endless nights spent in a basement building boats he was just going to destroy. However, convert that to movies in an entertainment room, and he could totally get on board.

Ever since Tony had returned from killing Daniel Budd though, there was no affection twinkling in his boss’ eyes when he struck out at him verbally. Now, there was just anger, resentment, and sometimes something else that he was afraid to name. The words were sharper and meaner, and there were no signs of silent apologies given later in the form of coffees or a nod and a shrug.

Until now, when shit hit the fan and Tony got hit in the face with the splatter, he had been able to convince himself at night that this too would pass. He was pretty sure though that tonight when he went home, it would be harder than ever to convince himself that was true. Especially when he looked his little boy in the eyes, and had to justify inside of his head how the treatment he was receiving was still ok.

Taking a deep breath, Tony turned away from the railing and followed Director Vance to his office. It was time to find out what the older man wanted, and how it would affect Tony’s life. One thing he knew from the years he’d spent under Vance, they weren’t just going to be shooting the shit. Something in his gut said that his whole life was about to change. He just hoped that it was for the better, and not another repeat of the agent afloat disaster.


	2. An Offer He Can’t Refuse

Banner by Musichick2004 on LiveJournal

 

##  **Chapter One:** _An Offer He Can’t Refuse_

When he reached Cynthia’s desk, the director was asking her to hold all calls and visitors. Then, he requested that she schedule a meeting in the morning with SSA Gibbs and the Human Resources Manager. It was only his undercover skills that kept his blank mask firmly in place. That was not a good sign for Gibbs, and two sides of Tony were warring between cheering and worry. Taking a deep calming breath, he shoved both down and locked them away until he could examine them in privacy later. When Vance headed into his office, Tony followed noting the door being shut behind them.

 

“Have a seat, Tony,” the Director requested waving a hand to one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

 

Feeling more than a little unnerved by the events of the last, not even 10 minutes, Tony sat as requested crossing one leg over the other, and folded his hands over his knee.

 

“Tell me how things are going in general, Tony. Are you still happy in your position?”

 

“Are we speaking confidentially, sir or, is this on the books?” Tony questioned knowing the answer would determine his response. Not that he’d always trusted Vance at his word, but he thought that he had reached a point where he had to.

 

“This is between you and me. I overheard enough from the issue that just unfolded that all I need from you is a written account of your conversation with Gibbs. This conversation isn’t exactly about that. It’s more something that I have been meaning to discuss with you, and the incident just now in the bullpen spurned me into action. So, be honest with me. Tell me how things are going.”

 

Tony nodded and took a moment to gather his thoughts before proceeding. “This isn’t the first time I have been down this road with Gibbs post serious injury. After the first time, when he got amnesia, I had hoped that I’d not have to do it, again. He certainly doesn’t help my ego or my self-esteem. Maybe some feel that shouldn’t be a problem, but everyone has their limits, even me. There was a time when I couldn’t imagine leaving the team, but lately, that’s changed.”

 

Tony paused to turn his thoughts over in his head, knowing that he was at a point of no return. If he went forward with what he suspected was the issue, Gibbs’ career would be over. The biggest problem though was that he just didn’t see any way to avoid what he’d come to believe. It just wouldn’t be safe to continue going on as they had been if Gibbs was as far down the rabbit hole as Tony believed him to be.

 

“There’s something wrong with him, Director Vance. Something that looking back I think has been wrong for quite a while. It’s just that before now it has been easy for him to hide. Now, after getting injured and the long delay in getting him help this last time, I think he’s having trouble faking it like he's used to doing. The first thing that came to mind is PTSD, but that doesn't feel right. If that's the issue, then it's certainly not the full issue or the biggest issue. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually a memory problem. My best guess would be that it's a combination of the two with the memory problem being the largest irritant.

 

"Between his girls dying, the amnesia when he got blown up, now that kid he was trying to save almost killing him, and the constant stress he puts himself under, I think that whatever it is, has just gotten steadily worse. Before now I think he could fake his way through the problem times with anger or stubbornness. 

 

“Now he can’t do it anymore. I also have a suspicion that he may be losing time. I feel bad that this is happening to him, but if I’m right it’s just not safe having him in the field. Hell, it’s not even safe letting him run a team. I’ve been as sympathetic as I could be for as long as I could with his constant irritation and other random bullshit. Now, I can see that it isn't my imagination, and there is really a more serious issue, I can't pretend that I don’t see it. He won’t get real help, and I certainly can’t force him. I've tried to broach the topic with a visit to the basement within the last week and he told me to mind my own fucking business.”

 

Sighing, Tony wished he had a coffee or even a bottle of water, but barreled on. “Bishop is going to be one hell of an agent someday. I’m concerned though that the team isn’t the best fit for her, and I’m even more concerned about what would happen to her if I left. Things between McGee and myself have improved with Ziva gone. He seems to have made a real effort to reel himself back in, but I honestly can say that it would take a really long time for the two of us to get back to the trust that I had with him before the coms incident several years ago. Time that I am fairly sure I am not willing to spend on this team”

 

“What coms incident?”

 

“The Military at Home case in Royal Woods, when McGee and Ziva turned off my com?” Tony almost swallowed his tongue in shock when Vance looked both clueless and upset.

 

“It was in my report, and I filed a separate complaint about it! It was with all the paperwork that I gave to… That fucking bastard! Excuse the French, sir.” Agitated, Tony ran a hand through his hair as he tried to keep from storming down to the bullpen and punching Gibbs in the throat.

 

“As my Grandmother would say, DiNozzo, that wasn’t French. It was plain English, and if I am understanding correctly I think the words were appropriate. Give me a brief rundown, please.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Tony nodded and complied. “When I was getting the voice samples in Royal Woods, McGee and Ziva got tired of listening to me. So, they turned the volume for the coms off on their end so that they didn’t have to listen to me, and read in the car until I got back. I reported it to Gibbs, and he said that he would take care of it. When I asked again, he advised me that you told him that it wasn’t that big of a deal, and maybe I shouldn’t mess around so much myself.”

 

He watched as Vance shoved a toothpick in his mouth, which was a sure sign he was agitated. “I will admit that it took me longer than it should have to warm up to you, DiNozzo. Even when I thought you were less professional than you should be, though, I would never have let that go. Do you have a copy of your original report by chance? I don’t know how much I can do about it now, but I would like the opportunity. Ziva may be gone, but McGee isn’t, and if our conversation goes the way I hope. I am not willing to put him in a leadership position at this point if he’s so willing to be led by his nose.”

 

Tony blushed slightly and fidgeted in his seat. “I umm maybe possibly have a copy of every report I’ve ever filled out with NCIS. IT has set me up with my own server space to keep them.”

 

Vance’s lips twitched, and the amusement was clear to read on his face. “How did you manage that?”

 

Tony shrugged settling back in his seat to get more comfortable. “I asked? It pays to help people out. They said that we had the room, but if it was ever needed I’d have to get rid of them. So far they haven’t needed it.”

 

Vance nodded smiling. “Only you, DiNozzo. Now, let’s get back to what we were talking about.”

 

Tony nodded and paused to recall what he’d been discussing. “McGee… Oh. Yeah, he’s gotten better, but that’s still some questions in my mind about him. I’d be concerned how he’d stand up to the next strong-willed, attractive female against someone he felt he was better than. I know I said it already, but I’d be worried to leave Elle alone with them. She has so much potential, and I’d hate to see it ruined like Ziva ruined McGee despite my best efforts.”

 

Tony took a deep breath. He found it hard to believe what the next words were going to come out of his mouth, but they were. “To be honest, I’m not sure… No, I know that I don’t want to be a part of this team any longer.”

 

Vance nodded smiling. “What if I told you that you didn’t have to? I have been tasked by SecNav and SecDef to create an internationally based team that deals with major cases that have both domestic and international ties. This new team would be located in London, England. 

 

“Then, if you do as well with that team as I think you will, there is a spot opening that I think you would be perfect for. Your first case will be completing the investigation with The Calling. There’s word going around that Daniel wasn’t the top of the mountain like we thought he was. We have a vested interest in seeing them brought down, and I trust you to make sure it happens.”

 

Tony cocked his head to one side and arched an eyebrow. He was more than a little shocked to hear what he’d already been offered, let alone that there was more to it.

 

“Within the next five years, Europe and Northern Africa will be divided into two separate Assistant Directors. Northern Africa is quickly becoming more than enough for one all by itself. Once that happens, should you be living up to my expectations, I would like to promote you to the new AD spot. I wasn’t kidding when I said that someday this chair could be yours, Tony.”

 

“The new team will be in London, sir?” Tony verified as his mind spun with the notion of being able to live in his Mother’s home country. She’d often talked fondly of England, and he’d always secretly hoped to live there someday.

 

“Yes, it will. You’ll be able to pick your own team, although I do have a name I would appreciate you consider for your SFA. I think that she would be perfect for your team, as previously she’s spent time working with Interpol. Also, her Mother is an ambassador. So, she spent quite a bit of time overseas.”

 

“Emily Prentiss? If it is, then I fully agree, sir. She’d be a kick ass SFA. Is there any chance that… I mean…” Tony sighed and Vance smiled lifting an eyebrow.

 

“I’d like Ellie Bishop for the new team, sir.”

 

Vance nodded smiling. “Good for you, DiNozzo. One thing I like about you is your ability to tactfully speak your mind. You have a real future with this agency, Tony, if you want it that is.”

 

“If I may, sir?” Tony asked and waited for Vance to nod, before continuing.

 

“I thought you felt McGee was the future of the agency.”

 

Vance sighed and then nodded carefully. “I feel that agents LIKE McGee are the future of NCIS. Technically minded with field ability. Let’s face it, Tony. The world is only becoming more and more digital. You aren’t exactly a novice to computers, though, despite what you let your team believe. I am very aware of your Bachelor’s in computer science, and your ongoing studies in Criminal Psychology, also for that matter. When is your thesis for your doctorate?”

 

Tony grinned shyly. He wasn’t aware that anyone at NCIS paid attention to those parts of his file. “A few weeks sir. I am part of a special program because of my job. So, I can do my studies and tests when I have the time. I have the day off already for when I am scheduled to present it.”

 

Vance nodded looking proud. “Recognizing that people like McGee are our future is not the same as McGee himself being our future. No, in my opinion, you will be the one on that team to do us proud. I’d like to see what you can manage when you’re out from underneath Gibbs’ long shadow. I also think that it would be good for you to be able to be more open about your son. I don’t know what your situation is with your English relatives, but it might be good for you both to have family nearby. So, do I have my new Supervisory Special Agent?”

 

Knowing that he should think about it, but not wanting to wait, Tony stood and held out his hand. When the director shook it, he grinned big. “You do, Director Vance. I promise I will make you proud.”

 

“I don’t have a single doubt, DiNozzo. Not even one.”

 

Smiling happily, Tony shook the Director’s hand and headed back downstairs to get the case solved. Suddenly, he was confident that he could handle whatever the case and Gibbs threw at him. After all, his time in DC was winding down, and his future had a whole new direction.

 


	3. The Last Goodbye

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##  **Chapter Two:** _The Last Goodbye_

Three weeks later, Tony was walking around his empty apartment taking in the memories, one last time. All of their things had been picked up the day before to be shipped to their new London town home. He hoped that it was as nice as it looked. 

 

The building was supposedly historical and looked to have beautiful historic features both inside and out that had recently been renovated. He had to dip into his trust fund money to pay for it, but he decided that it was worth it. Hearing tiny footsteps behind him, Tony looked back to see his two-year-old son TJ, aka Tristan Jordan DiNozzo, toddling toward him.

 

TJ was the miraculous child born out of a brief weekend fling that he had with a woman named Amber, who worked at the state department. They kept in touch by text so that they could check in with each other on occasion for work issues, or bitch about co-workers, right up to the day before she was murdered. Never once though in their conversations had she informed him that she was pregnant. He was incredibly thankful that she’d at least told her boss and her doctor who the Father was. Every once and awhile he had gotten the feeling that she wanted to say something to him, but she had never done so.

 

Because her parents had died years before, and she had no siblings, there was no question as to him getting custody of his son. A DNA test was done while TJ was in the hospital, and his status as the Father was confirmed. He’d debated on telling the team, but it had never felt right with most of them. Looking back, he realized that things hadn’t felt like “the team” for a while. The fact that he was so reluctant to tell them about TJ should have been the first hint he needed to leave.

 

When he felt a small collision with his legs, and two little arms wrap around one, he bent down and lifted his son to rest on his hip. “Tings gone,” TJ observed, and Tony nodded smiling before kissing his forehead.

 

There were a few on the extended portion team who had known about his son prior to his accepting the promotion. Vance for one. Tony let the man know right away so that he could get the time off without jumping through Gibbs’ hoops. Ducky and Jimmy both knew. They’d served as stand-in doctors for the toddler on occasion, and Breena was TJ’s babysitter.

 

The others had just started finding out recently. Gibbs was the first to know. He found out a week prior when he came to try, one last time, to convince Tony to stay. Tony introduced him to his son, and the two had a very frank conversation. The end result was that Gibbs was going to give into the psych evaluation that Vance was mandating, and they both knew would mean an end to Gibbs’ NCIS career. Tony had pointed out that it should have happened long ago, and it was a minor miracle that the man hadn’t gotten anyone killed.

 

For once, Gibbs had been frank and open about things. Tony had a feeling that it was a combination of knowing he couldn’t change things, and Ducky having a hand in urging the older man to make some kind of peace before it was too late. 

 

Tony honestly felt much better after their conversation. While things weren’t magically all better, it had begun to heal some open wounds. It had also given him hope that maybe someday they could be friends once more.

 

Tony was about to make TJ something to eat with the bits he’d left to feed his son when someone started pounding on the apartment door. His son squeaked in fright, and immediately started clinging to his neck. Frowning, Tony rubbed his back, as he made his way to see who it was. He was already upset that whoever it was had scared his son, but seeing his visitors, and having Abby start yelling right off the bat, didn’t help.

 

“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, DiNozzo, but you aren’t going to get away with these shenanigans! Who are you to try and ruin Timmy’s career like this? You’re a traitor!”

 

TJ started crying, making Tony angrier. Pulling his son to his chest, Tony whispered in his ear, as he watched Tim pull Abby away, whispering to her. The arms flying all over the place suggested that he wasn’t happy. Once his son was quieted down, except for little snuffles in his ear, Tony gritted his teeth and glared at the Goth speaking as calmly as he could.

 

“I don’t know what your deal is, Ms. Sciuto, and frankly I don’t care. You have 30 seconds to remove yourself from my sight. I don’t owe you anything, and I am done rewarding or excusing your bad behavior. At one time, I considered you like a sister, but over the last several years, you have proven that it was a foolish notion. Whatever happened with McGee is between me and him. I don’t like the idea of us parting on bad terms, but my son is more important to me than you. Your current behavior is scaring him, and yet you aren’t doing a single thing to correct it.”

 

“That’s not fair!” Abby shrieked stomping her foot, and Tim hissed in her ear again, when TJ whimpered. “How was I to know that he was your kid?”

 

“Keep your voice down,” Tony replied. His quiet and calm tone not matching how aggravated he was. He wasn’t about to have his son get more upset though because he couldn’t control his temper.

 

“I don’t care if you knew TJ was my son or not. That isn’t the issue. The problem is you saw a child in my arms when I opened the door, and yet you saw fit to act like more of a child than he does. So, you now have 15 seconds to leave before I call the cops. McGee, if you can act like an adult, then you can come in, and we’ll talk. I’m not kidding Sciuto. You’re down to ten seconds.”

 

It took another hissed conversation from Tim in her ear, but eventually, the Goth stomped off angrily. Once she was gone, Tony held open the door for his former co-worker to come in. After McGee entered, Tony shut it, placing another kiss on TJ’s temple.

 

“I’d offer you a seat, McProbie, but they have all been shipped off already.” Heading to the kitchen, Tony stopped at the refrigerator to get the prosciutto and mozzarella rolls and veggie and dip containers that he’d made up for his son’s lunch. Placing them on the island for whenever TJ got hungry, he pulled himself up to sit on a countertop with his son settled in his lap, still peeking at the stranger.

 

“McGee, this is my son, TJ. Figlio, this is papa’s friend Tim.”

 

TJ wiggled his fingers, and McGee waved back. “Good mornin’. Nise meet you, Unko Tim.”

 

“It’s very nice to meet you also, TJ. Tony, he’s adorable! How old is he? Did you… why didn’t you tell us about him? Do you not trust us that much?”

 

Tony sighed curling his arms tighter around his son’s chest to hold the squirming child in place. Eventually, though, he just let him down to toddle around in the empty apartment. 

 

“TJ was born right around the time that Ziva decided not to return after the three of us quit. Everyone was upset, and somehow it seemed like you all were mad at me for not making her stay. I know that Abby expected me to chase after her, but what was that going to accomplish? She’d made up her mind, and despite what everyone wants to believe, we didn’t have some big love affair. We’d settled into something less than hate, but not quite friendship either by the time she left. That doesn’t mean I wanted to settle down with her and have babies, either.”

 

Tony smiled, as his son toddled around the island Tim was leaning on. He saw the younger man look down, and then his son appeared again as McGee lifted him to sit on the island top. TJ sat with his legs crossed and pulled his food containers near. He could see him eyeballing his coloring book and crayons and figured that would be next on the list. He’d been working on a picture earlier and hadn’t finished before he’d gotten bored.

 

“Anyway,” Tony said picking up where he’d left off. “I just didn’t want to tell everyone at the beginning. Amber hadn’t even told me that she was pregnant. Then suddenly she was dead, and I had a premature baby to take care of. Ducky and Jimmy knew because I needed medical advice, but with everyone else unreasonably pissed off at me, I didn’t feel like opening up myself to another vulnerability.”

 

“You shouldn’t have been alone, though,” Tim protested quietly, and Tony shrugged.

 

“I wasn’t. Like I said, Ducky and Jimmy were there. A couple of my frat brothers came in to sit with me, and my buddy Danny took some time off and flew in from Hawaii to help me until I was settled. He has a daughter that’s older than TJ. So, he was familiar with everything I would need. 

 

“I had to do what I thought was best for TJ and me. Then, once I didn’t say anything, there never really seemed to be a good time to bring it up. Things have been improving lately. So, I’d like to think I would have said something before too much longer. Honestly, I’ve been thinking about it. I just… Let’s be honest, McProbie. Things haven’t been good for quite a long time on our team.”

 

“I don’t want you to go,” Tim admitted softly, watching TJ finish his lunch. “Things were just starting to improve between us. I know I messed up, and let Ziva feed my ego. I feel like I’m never going to get to fix what I broke. Vance booted me back down to Junior Agent, and I have to retake a bunch of FLETC classes on ethics again, but I don't even care about that. I messed us up. I let down my partner.”

 

Tony sighed and looked off across the room for a moment, warring with his own instincts. Making a quick decision he turned his gaze back to his Probie. As much as he felt letdown, there was a huge part of himself that still believed in McGee, and like the younger man, wanted them to get back to being friends, again. Unlike Abby, he was at least owning up to his mistakes and making an effort.

 

“I can’t give details, McTryingHard, but I can say this. Bust your ass. Do your best. Become the agent I trained you to be, and believe you can be. Prove that you’re better than you have been and that you deserve the faith people have in you. Stop listening to people who only want to feed your ego and lead you around by the nose. Do all of that, and someday we’ll be working together again. Fuck it up this time, though, and I’ll scorch the earth of you.”

 

“I promise. I won’t let you down again, Tony. You’ll take care of Ellie?” McGee asked, and Tony nodded seriously.

 

“You have my word of honor, McGee. Things are going to be changing, and it’s going to be up to you to prove that you belong. This time you’ll have to do it on your own. I believe that you can do it, though. Don’t let me down.”

 

McGee nodded and ruffled TJ’s hair making the young boy squeak with indignation. Snorting, the younger man then rounded the island and held out his hand. “It’s been an honor, Tony. Until I see you again, I promise you that I’ll work hard to do you proud and make things right.”

 

Nodding, Tony used their clasped hands to pull him in for a half-hug. “I look forward to it, Probie.”

 

Telling TJ not to move, Tony followed McGee out locking the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a brief moment and then forced himself to let the past go. He had a full future ahead of him, and there was no room for it where he was going.

 


	4. Meeting the Paddingtons

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##  **Chapter Three:** _Meeting the Paddingtons_

  
  


Three days later, Tony was standing outside his car on the edges of the Paddington family estate looking at the Manor and trying to decide if this was really what he wanted to do. He’d never seen the family home or castle, as it seemed. His Father always called it old and drafty hinting it was rundown, but at least from his current vantage point, it was fearsome and marvelous. There was something about it that called to him. 

 

It was as if the lifeblood of the castle itself was running through his veins beckoning him closer. He both wanted to be closer to it and wanted to turn and flee with TJ as far away as he could. The conflicting emotions were not helping his nerves.

 

If he was completely honest with himself, he would admit that there was a huge part of himself that longed to reconnect with some portion of the only parent who gave a fuck about him. This was her home. This was the place and the people and the earth that she came from. If he had any chance of finding acceptance and affection from people who shared some portion of his genetics, it had to be here. Because, if it didn’t happen in this castle that was hundreds of years old, then it wouldn’t happen anywhere.

 

“Papa,” TJ called, and looking down he saw his son toddling toward him carrying a flower. Smiling softly, he knelt down, and when his son reached his side, he kissed his temple and lifted him into his arms. Tilting his head downward, he took a deep breath of the flower.

 

“That smells wonderful,” Tony praised smiling. “Why don’t you save it for your Aunt Olivia. I bet she will love it.”

 

“Kay!” TJ agreed bouncing and held the flower carefully as his daddy put him back into his car seat inside their rental.

 

“Come on, TJ. The future awaits.”

 

Reaching the house, Tony stopped and turned off the car. Walking around to where his son was, he got TJ back out, putting his son on his hip. The toddler immediately noticed the other flowers decorating the edges of the lawn.

 

“More?”

 

Tony chuckled and shook his head. “Not right now, figlio.”

 

“Aww,” TJ pouted sticking out his bottom lip.

 

Trying to look stern despite how cute his son looked. Tony grabbed the lower lip and gently tugged. “What has papà told you about that stickin’ that thing out, huh?”

 

“Gon trip,” TJ replied not looking the least bit concerned. “No can papà. You has me.”

 

Tony chuckled and kissed TJ’s temple. “Papa loves you, TJ. Don’t ever forget that.” 

 

Carrying his son to the flowers, he oohed and aahed with the little boy, who was miraculously guarding his treasure. Tony hadn’t expected the flower to survive this long, but there may actually be a chance that the present would make it to his Aunt.

 

“Well now, who do we have here?”

 

Quickly, he turned toward the sound of the female voice, to see an older man and woman coming toward him. “Uncle George and Aunt Olivia?”

 

“Yes, child,” the older woman confirmed coming to his side and reaching up pressed a kiss to his cheek. “The gate said that you were Anthony DiNozzo Jr? Elizabeth’s son?”

 

Tony nodded smiling somewhat awkwardly and still a little nervously. “Yes, ma’am, and this is my son Tristan Jordan, or TJ for short.”

 

“Nis meet yu, Aunt Libia,” TJ chirped holding out the flower he’d picked. “Fo you.”

 

The older woman smiled as she reached up to pat his cheek. “He’s a precious boy! Thank you so much! It’s beautiful. Did you pick this yourself? George! Come here and say hello.”

 

“I’m coming, Olivia,” George chided as he crossed from the front steps. Tony noticed that he was using a cane to help a limp. Once he finally reached them, Tony was startled, when the older man wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

 

“It is so very good to finally meet you, Anthony.”

 

“Please, call me Tony. I don’t… Senior goes by Anthony. We don’t… I don’t like being reminded of him if I don’t have to be.” Tony admitted softly, as TJ watched the older man before sticking a hand out.

 

“I TJ Nosso,” the child proclaimed. “Nis meet you.”

 

“It is very nice to meet you as well, TJ,” George said very seriously as he shook the child’s hand.

 

“Like horsey,” TJ added pointing to a man leading a horse toward what appeared to be stables across the far lawn making the older couple smile.

 

“My son has become a horse fanatic. We watched Black Beauty a couple months ago, and he’s become obsessed.”

 

“Aah,” Olivia nodded smiling. “That animal is a pure beast around any adult other than Edward. His name is Drake. The funny thing is that should a child appear he’s as docile as a rocking horse. I am sure Edward would be willing to take TJ for a ride later.”

 

“Well, I appreciate it, and I know it would make up for the long boring hours he’s spent the last few days.”

 

TJ nodded seriously. “Boring!”

 

Olivia chuckled, before addressing Tony. “TJ’s wonderful! And, he’s the spitting image of you as a child, Tony. Between you looking so much like that scoundrel Father of yours, and TJ looking just like the pictures that Elizabeth sent us of you as a boy, I would have recognized you two even without introduction. I hope you’ll be staying with us. How long are you in England?”

 

Tony shook his head at his son’s antics. “As to how long we’re here, the two of us have actually moved to the UK. I was offered a position here and decided that a fresh start was just what the two of us needed. My Mother talked fondly of London, and would talk about the places that she’d take me someday.”

 

Tony stopped and looked off into the distance for a moment to gather himself before continuing. “Things with mom were… complicated. As an adult, I understand things now I didn’t then. We got here two days ago and had to wait for our things to be delivered yesterday. It’s felt like this place has been calling to me, though. I know I should have called first but…”

 

Tony shrugged looking at the two Paddington family elders studying him and was relieved to see only compassion and understanding on their faces. He knew, though, the talk of his Mother, who would have been George’s younger sister, had to bring sadness as well.

 

“I honestly wasn’t sure if you would be willing to see me, and Rule #18 it’s better to seek forgiveness than ask permission seemed to apply here.”

 

Olivia nodded sympathetically. “Who don’t we go inside and chat. There is so much I would like to say, and I am sure you didn’t come all this way to stand in the drive. George should get off his leg anyway. He’s recently had knee replacement surgery and is still recovering. Edward will hopefully join us when he’s done taking care of Drake.”

 

Nodding, Tony followed the couple up the stairs and into the castle. So far, things were going well. He hoped that they stayed that way once the pleasantries ran out.

 

Tony’s home as a child was large and lavish. His Father had always made sure that anyone entering knew he was wealthy. This though was so far beyond that Tony wasn’t sure even he knew what to do in a place like this. When Olivia met what he guessed was a maid and asked her to make sure her flower was put in a vase, and then moved to her reading room where she could see it, he found himself more moved than he imagined he could be by such a simple request. He knew that it meant a great deal to his son, who would have been heartbroken if the flower was simply discarded.

 

Eventually, they reached what appeared to be a library or study. His Aunt helped his Uncle settle into a chair with his leg propped up on an ottoman. She then took a seat on a nearby sofa and patted the empty cushion next to her. “Please, Tony, have a seat. Let’s talk.”

 

Nodding Tony sat on the other end, with TJ on his lap. It took only about a minute though before his inquisitive son was squirming to get down and explore.

 

“He is more than welcome to get down and roam, Tony,” George offered generously. "We have two grandsons by our daughter Marie and are familiar with the energy of little boys. There is nothing in this room that he can hurt, in fact, there are quite a few shelves of books around his height that he may find that should be suitable for his age. If he is into that sort of thing that is.”

 

Nodding, and offering a smile of thanks, Tony let TJ slip down, and the toddler quickly took off to explore the room. “Stay in the room, though, TJ, with Papa.”

 

“Sì, Papà!”

 

“He already speaks Italian?” Olivia asked, and Tony nodded proudly. 

 

“Simple words and phrases only right now, but yes.

 

“My Father may be a horrible man, but my Uncle Vincenzo is a wonderful hard working man. My Nona and Papa DiNozzo were good to me the few times I saw them as a child. I am proud of my heritage and want to make sure my son understands his roots. I don’t know as much of my British side as my Italian, but I am hoping to rectify that.”

 

“Your Mother didn’t tell you about the family?” George asked sounding pained, and Tony hesitated to answer. Eventually, the older man continued on, when it became evident Tony wasn’t sure how to answer.

 

“Please, just tell us the truth about my sister and your Mother. I’m not sure that there’s anything you could say that would shock me.”

 

Tony studied George, and finally nodded carefully. When he spoke, he tried to keep his voice down so that TJ, who was investigating the other side of the room, couldn’t hear.

 

“You have to understand, I loved my Mother more than anything as a child. She was truly all that I had. Senior didn’t like children, and the only time that other kids were ever around was if it was to his advantage to help him close a deal. Since his deals never lasted long, the kids never stayed long. There were things that happened as a child that at the time I just… accepted, but looking back… As a man who has spent his adult life trying to help people, and has seen abuse in all of its forms, I understand that things with my mom were much worse than I understood even then.”

 

Tony huffed and ran a hand through his hair before continuing. “I thought my Mother was the most beautiful woman in the whole world as a child. I suppose even now that holds true. It’s just as an adult I understand that beauty on the inside doesn’t usually match inner beauty. In fact, at times it really only is skin deep. My Mother was an alcoholic, as was my Father. After she got ill, she also became a drug addict abusing her pain medicine and quite often mixing it with her cocktails, which led to a scary outcome for me normally.

 

“She liked to dress me up in cute little outfits and parade me around in front of her friends so that I could entertain them with my cuteness or my piano playing or whatever trick I’d picked up. There were very few times when she was sober. One time she was so drunk that she drank my sea monkeys because she confused them with her mint julep. Of course, it was all my fault, and she smacked the shit out of me for it. The next day though there was a present and a trip to the movies to make up for it. Being a stupid little kid, I was easy to bribe into forgiving her.”

 

“Your Mother was… spoiled, to say the least,” George said softly, as a door opened and shut on the other end of the room. The man who had been on the horse came in, pausing to look at TJ briefly before moving towards the adults.

 

“Edward! Come over and meet your cousin Tony. Tony, this is your cousin and our oldest son Edward.”

 

Tony stood and shook the man’s hand before settling back onto the couch. Edward moved to a chair near his Father. Just as he sat, the maid came in with some drinks. “Tony, can Julia get you and TJ anything to drink?”

 

“Juice for TJ would be great. Probably a sippy cup or juice box if you have it would be safest. Water or iced tea is fine for me. Thank you very much.”

 

When the woman left, George continued. “She was the only living girl, and Father adored her. They’d had two other daughters born, but both died shortly after their birth. She was once a sweet loving girl, but she knew her beauty and rarely heard the word no. She liked to party and have fun, even before she married your Father. I wish I could say that I am surprised that things didn’t turn out well for her attempts at Mothering, but… I’m honestly not. She was the one that I think always had good intentions, but never had the patience to wait and do things the right way. Then, of course, Anthony DiNozzo came along…”

 

Tony snorted and shook his head. “I am sure it was all downhill from there. Sometimes I’m not sure if my Father is the dreamer he claims that he is, or if he’s just that good at playing his game. Either way, he wasn’t the best husband or Father. He still claims that mom was the love of his life, but he didn’t waste much time after her death before replacing her that’s for sure. I know you have no reason to believe me, but I can assure you that I may share his name, but that’s about all I share with Senior.”

 

“Your Father is a con man, right?” Edward asked speaking for the first time.

 

“Edward!”

 

Olivia scolded, but Tony held up his hand. “Please, Aunt Olivia. It’s nothing more than the truth. Although, he insists that he’s not because he supposedly believes in all the things he tries to sell. Considering all the people that he’s scammed out of money, I’m not sure that matters. I don’t honestly believe it myself.”

 

“What is it you do then?” Edward asked, again. Tony tilted his head to one side studying his cousin and could tell that for some reason the man seemed not to like him. He didn’t have the foggiest clue why, though.

 

“I work for NCIS. That stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It’s an American law enforcement agency that handles crimes committed against Navy or Marine personnel or their families. Director Vance has opened a new office in London to deal with major crimes that have both domestic and international ties. I will be leading that team.”

 

“And your two murder accusations?” Edward pushed, but Tony just rolled his eyes.

 

“Edward James!” George snapped, but again Tony held up a hand.

 

“Both were false accusations. The first one didn’t even have a full body. Just parts. The second was an accusation made by a woman I’d had a relationship with while working undercover. Her Father was an international arms dealer, and my former director, Jenny Sheppard, thought we might be able to get some information on her Father from her. SIS or Interpol? And, how is Crispin these days? The smarmy little jerk.”

 

“Smarmy because he demanded that you pay back a loan you reneged on from Uncle Clive?”

 

“That’s enough!” George snapped loudly, and little feet were heard as TJ came from where he’d been playing, and threw himself at his Father.

 

Tony kissed TJ’s head and whispered in his ear rubbing his back, as the boy looked at Edward wide-eyed. It was obvious that he was afraid. He wasn’t used to shouting. Tony had spent too much of his early childhood hiding from his parent's fighting and did his best to shield his son from them.

 

“Tony, I’m so very sorry,” Olivia said quietly, and Tony could see the obvious upset on her face.

 

Offering a half smile, he waited as Julia came back in with the bottle of water and a juice box. Tony put the straw in the hole and handed it to TJ. “Everything is ok, figlio. Why don’t you take your juice back to where you were playing?”

 

“No more yells?” TJ asked eyeing George and Edward uncertainly.

 

“You have my word of honor, Master Tristin,” George promised earnestly. Finally, TJ nodded and toddled back to where he’d been exploring. Leaving the adults to their conversation.

 

“That money was never meant to be paid back,” George said sternly glaring at his eldest child. “I don’t know what bullpucky that Crispin has filled your head with. What’s more, I don’t know why you would choose to listen to him about this, when you don’t believe anything else that comes out of his mouth.”

 

Edward opened his mouth to respond, but a look of embarrassment flashed across his face before it was locked down. He then turned his eyes in Tony’s direction. “Why do you think that I work for Interpol or SIS?”

 

“I don’t think, I know that you must,” Tony offered steadily and quietly. “The public was never made aware of the preliminary information on either investigation. Ever. I was never charged with anything, even though the FBI did have me in custody during the first case, charges were never brought. The only place that you can get that information is by requesting official files, which they don’t hand out to any Tom, Dick, or Edward. If you’re a journalist, I’ll eat my Italian leather shoes.

 

“That means you work in law enforcement. Scotland Yard doesn’t seem to fit right. While there are rich upper crust boys who go into the PD’s, it’s more common for them to go to some kind of government agency. 

 

“My gut says it’s bigger than that. So, Interpol or SIS. My guess is SIS because there is an Interpol connection within NCIS, and had you been with them and talked to Emily, she would have told you that Crispin was full of shit. 

 

“I don’t know why he doesn’t like me. To be honest, I don’t much care at this point. All I wanted was to meet the family that I never got a chance to know. I was hoping that someone I have some genetic connection to wouldn't think that I’m a complete waste of humanity, and maybe my son would have people he could call Auntie, Uncle, Nonna, and Nonno. I want more for him than I had. I’m beginning to wonder if that was a mistake. It seems that maybe I’m just not meant to have a family.”

 

“Anthony, I mean Tony, No!” Olivia cried quietly and glared at her son obviously upset. “You fix this, Edward James Paddington. We raised you better than this! Is this what that place is turning you into?”

 

Edward sighed, took a mental deep breath. It was obvious that he’d made a mistake. He hated having to admit that his Father was right, but in this case, he was. Edward never listened to anything that Crispin said, but somehow, he’d allowed himself to be poisoned against Anthony. What’s worse was that he hadn’t listened to Crispin’s younger brother either, whom he saw nearly every day if he was in the country. Nodding he tilted his head to one side before responding. 

 

“My deepest apologies. As my Mother pointed out, I was raised better, and as my Father pointed out, Crispin and I have never seen eye to eye on anything. Unfortunately, I cannot confirm or deny your guess, which… I suppose is an answer in itself, isn’t it? I think it’s best that I excuse myself for now. I will see you all after dinner. Tony, please don’t let my arsehole behavior place my parents in a bad light. My Father has been talking about meeting you since the day Aunt Elizabeth first sent pictures of you. You and your son deserve a place in this family as much as any. If you’ll all excuse me?”

 

With that Edward got up and left, leaving the three adults to hopefully continue their conversation. He had a boss to visit, and a confession to make. Hopefully, M didn’t tear too big of a strip off his arse.

 

Tony sighed as he watched Edward leave the room. At that point, he had no idea what to think. As irritated as he was, he wasn't really mad. It was more hurt and disappointment than anything. If Edward did what Tony thought that he did, then he wasn't exactly surprised by his attitude. He knew what his record looked like. It was hard not to get defensive, though. 

 

He was so tired of playing parts, and everyone always expecting the worst of him. He hadn't allowed himself to think about how much he actually wanted this family connection with these people, but now that it could slip away from him he had no choice but to contemplate what he could be losing.

 

“He’s right you know,” Olivia offered softly. Her accent sounding so familiar, and so like his Mother’s soft lilt that it made him ache for a moment deep within his soul. Briefly, he closed his eyes to hold in the flair of pain, and then after opening them turned to look at her.

 

“You belong in this place as much as any of the rest of us. This is your birthright too, Tony. Yours and TJ’s both. We have made it clear that while Edward may be the successor, this place belongs to all of the Paddingtons. It is all of our refuge. I don’t know what your schedule is like right now, but I would love for you to spend a few days with us if you could. I know George agrees with me.”

 

“Yes, Tony, please say that you can stay here through the weekend. We have a suite that would be perfect for you and young Tristan. I am sure some of the other family members will want to come meet you once they find out that you’re here. I would love to get to know my sister’s only son and only grandchild. Even if she may not have deserved the man you turned out to be.”

 

“I don’t understand,” Tony finally admitted after several long moments of silence spent studying the rug under his feet. “Why would you believe me? Why would you want me? Why now, and not when I was a child and needed you? Needed any of you? I’m not trying to be ungrateful. I would love a chance to get to know you all, but if Senior has taught me anything it’s not to trust people who say they love or care about you. I seem to always pay a harsh price for it in the end.”

 

“We made a horrible mistake,” George admitted. The grief and regret evident in his voice. 

 

“We judged you based on your Father, and bad memories of your Mother. As you said, your relationship with her was complicated, so was ours. She was my sister, and I loved her. A lot of the time, though, I didn’t like her very much, and most of the time I didn’t approve of her antics. Certainly, not those before she left England for America. We should never have left you with that man after Elizabeth died, but we were too wrapped up in our own pain and anger. Unfortunately, it seems that you’re the one that paid the price, and for that, I am deeply ashamed. Give us a chance, Tony?”

 

Tony frowned, his brow furrowing as he tried to put the mismatched pieces of this puzzle together. He’d expected to have to beg for their forgiveness and had prepared himself for having to prove himself to be more honorable than his Father. Yet, the exact opposite was happening and he wasn’t sure that he knew what to do with it. One thing he’d learned in his life, though, was to never turn up his nose at a second chance or an outstretched hand. People may have thought his loyalty to Gibbs was all about his former boss’ domineering personality, but the truth was that it was really about Tony.

 

He’d always held loyalty as one of his most important personality traits. He’d grown up with not a single person loyal to the child he was, and he’d be damned if he’d treat other people that way. No matter how many times he found out that others didn’t share the importance of being loyal to him, he refused to become the man his Father was and live his life being loyal only to himself. The second most important trait he considered to be was forgiveness.

 

He’d never been one to feel the need to hold a grudge forever over one tiny little infraction, or in most cases even a dozen little infractions. Generally speaking, it took a considerable amount of time, and many dozens of second chances thrown away before he decided that you weren’t worth another.

 

This wasn’t to say that he was some peace loving, tree hugging hippy who looked at the world through rose-colored glasses, no offense to peace loving, tree hugging hippies. That just wasn’t his deal. As much as he believed in loyalty and forgiveness, he was still incredibly cynical and slow to trust just about anyone. That was why, when the people he did trust betrayed him, it felt like he was being burned from the inside out. It seemed he was forever putting everything that he could into those around him, and all he got, in the end, were more scars.

 

It was so hard not to put his heart behind walls of steel and protect it from these people, but what would that get him? And, hadn’t he sought them out? How ungrateful would he look? How much his Father’s son would he appear if he shits on their offer of family and belonging? What had protecting his heart ever gotten him?

 

“Alright,” Tony finally said softly. Nodding, as if to emphasize his decision, he looked up. First to George, and then to Olivia meeting each of their eyes. 

 

“Ok, I’ll give it a chance, if you promise to give me the same, and not expect my Father or even Mother every time I open my mouth. I’m not either of them. Hell, I doubt I know enough of my Mother to be her. I’m just Tony. A man with an incredible son, and an amazing job where he gets to help people in the worst moments of their lives.

 

“A man who maybe knows a little too much useless movie trivia, and hides behind his piano on long, horrible days. But, movies have always been my happy place. My piano is the only thing my Mother left me when she died, and it’s the only thing that I have that really connects the two of us. I don’t know anything about being a nephew or a cousin, and some days I wonder if I really understand what it means to be a friend. I try my hardest, though, even when it always seems I come up short. 

 

“There will be things I can’t tell you about my job, and for some reason, I’m always the one that attracts trouble. But, maybe that’s because I’d rather take it on myself then watch it dig its claws into someone else. I’m about as far from perfect as it gets, but if you’ll just give me a chance, I swear I’ll be the most loyal person you know. I just… I just want a chance.”

 

When Olivia crossed the short space between them and put her arms around him, he startled. As he relaxed, though, he pretended neither of their cheeks was getting wet.


	5. Family Secrets

Banner by Musichick2004 on LiveJournal

 

##  **Chapter Four:** _Family Secrets_

  
  


As Edward walked into the waiting area for M’s office, he had to force the nerves back. He wasn’t sure how his boss was going to take the news that his cousin, whom he’d never met before, had so easily guessed his profession and why. Meeting Moneypenny’s eyes, he got a lifted eyebrow, as he saw her glance down at her computer then back up to him.

 

“008,” She greeted. “Aren’t you supposed to be on leave?”

 

Edward, known as 008 to those in MI6, nodded not bothering with trying to charm the woman who would see through it in a second. “Something possibly serious has come up. I know he’s normally with Tanner and Q at this time, but I need to speak with the three of them, if at all possible.”

 

Eve just studied him a moment, before picking up the phone and dialing into M’s office. Quick enough that his nerves couldn’t build up again too awfully much, she ended the conversation and waved him into the office. Nodding his thanks, Edward took a deep breath and headed inside.

 

Upon entering the office, he gave a quick nod to his cousin Ashcroft, aka Q to those in MI6, and then greeted M and Tanner as he closed the door behind him. “Q, M, and Tanner, I do apologize for the intrusion, but I am afraid this cannot be put off.”

 

“That sounds like something that would come out of Bond or Trevelyan’s mouths, Paddington,” M offered leaning back in his chair. “Please tell me that you haven’t finally succumbed to their troublemaking. You and 003 are the only 00's we have that seem to have any common sense.”

 

“Well,” Edward hedged glancing to Q who lifted his eyebrow.

 

“There’s been an incident at the estate. I am embarrassed to say I lost my temper apparently with the wrong person and somehow exposed my status with MI6. Although I will be honest, I am truly not sure how he guessed.”

 

When M glowered at him with his eyes narrowed in aggravation, Tanner stepped in. “Maybe you should start from the beginning, Edward.”

 

“Right,” 008 agreed. “Mother and Father got an unexpected visitor this morning. My cousin from America and his son showed up at the castle.”

 

“Anthony and TJ?” Q asked for clarification suddenly looking interested, whereas he’d been wearing a bored expression when Edward came in.

 

Frowning, Edward turned to look at his younger cousin. “You know them?”

 

Q just shrugged without responding, as he sipped his tea. Shaking his head, 008 resumed his tale. “Anyway, I was out riding Drake when they arrived, and I am afraid I missed the first half of Anthony’s conversation with Mother and Father. When I came in, Father was telling him about his youngest sister Elizabeth, who is Anthony’s Mother. The man then brought up his scoundrel Father, and I am afraid that’s where it went off the rails. I called his Father a con man, which he is in my defense. When Anthony revealed he works for NCIS, I’m afraid I asked him about his two murder accusations…”

 

“Edward!” Q snapped interrupting and stopping him. “He was not guilty of doing anything wrong in either of those situations! Tell me you did not let Crispin con you into running a shoddy background check on him!”

 

Edward just shifted, and Q sighed loudly.

 

“Q, explain, please,” M ordered glaring at Edward still.

 

“Anthony Dominic DiNozzo Jr, son of Anthony Dominic DiNozzo Sr and my Aunt Elizabeth, who was the youngest of the three siblings. Edward is correct that the Senior is quite the scoundrel, and has been in trouble with various law enforcement agencies. He always seems to get out of it somehow in the end, though. Aunt Elizabeth died when Tony, he hates being called Anthony Edward so stop it, was only 8. From there he spent all of his time in boarding schools until he went to one of their universities on a dual sports scholarship.”

 

Q frowned at Edward as he took a sip of his tea before continuing. “My equally scoundrel brother asked me to run a background check on Tony after Father died, and Crispin found the IOU in Father’s safe. He had given Tony money while he was at university but never expected it to be paid back. Crispin being the tosser that he is, demanded the debt be paid. Worried about what my brother would do, I have been monitoring Tony’s career and personal situation ever since. The previous M was aware of my actions and supported them once I laid out my fears.

 

“Tony is an exemplary agent and has received numerous commendations both from his current employer as well as from his time spent working for various police departments. He is not his Father in any way. When his son was born, the child was premature due to extenuating circumstances.

 

“The child’s Mother was killed, but they were able to keep her alive long enough for the Emergency doctor’s to save the child.”

 

Q sighed and took another sip of his tea draining his mug before getting back to his story. “From what I have been able to gather, Tony was unaware of Tristan until that moment. Despite the fact that he was the typical bachelor, possibly rivaling Bond’s escapades, he changed his life without second thought to care for his son. It appears that he has recently received a promotion, and will be working here in London. I was quite hoping that we would get to know him, finally. If you messed it up, Edward James, you will never get sent out with anything more than a water gun as long as I am Quartermaster!”

 

M held up his hand, “how does any of that lead to him knowing where Edward works?”

 

Q continued speaking, and Edward was more than happy to let him. “He most likely reasoned it out. Tony is quite intelligent, and his deductive reasoning abilities, from what I have been able to find out from his FLETC training tests, are off the charts. Being a seasoned investigator who has worked many international cases in the past, he would know who could access his information. This is not as bad as it sounds, though, M. Tony was my item on our agenda this evening. With him living here and had he contacted the family, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before the family secrets came out. We could only benefit from doing what we can to minimize our risk by bringing him into the fold as much as we possibly can now.

 

“If I understand his new position correctly, he is going to be working with SIS anyway, and at some point, would have figured out Edward and myself work here, and that Uncle George retired from MI5. I had R run a full security assessment, and it was forwarded to you both. We might even consider approaching NCIS Director Vance about placing a liaison in his office. I was thinking it would be a perfect solution for the Trevelyan dilemma.”

 

M arched an eyebrow and turned his attention back to Edward. “What are your thoughts on that, 008? Since it seems as though you didn’t have a good first impression of the man.”

 

Edward sighed, and forced his eyes not to drop down to the floor. This was going to be the hard part. Usually, it was 007 or 006 that made such rash judgments. Maybe he should spend more time with 003 and less time with those other two.

 

“I am ashamed to say that I allowed my Cousin Crispin’s aversion to him to cloud my judgment. After I basically accused him of reneging on the loan Uncle Clive gave him, and upsetting his son TJ, he was forced to go through how he’d reasoned out where I was employed at, and defend himself. Then he offered to just leave, and not have contact with the family…”

 

“Edward James!” Q snapped horrified, and 008 nodded.

 

“I do believe that is the same tone my Mother used. At that point, there was no good way to convince him that he was wrong in his guessing. I could only say that I could not confirm or deny which basically just confirmed his guess. I then excused myself and came here.”

 

“Tanner?” M asked rubbing his temples. “Thoughts on the matter?”

 

Tanner looked up from the tablet he’d been studying. “I’ve been glancing through the information that R sent us. I have to say that I am quite impressed by the young man. While I can understand being put off at first glance, once you really get into the nuts and bolts of the thing it’s obvious that he poses little security risk. 

 

“He certainly understands keeping secrets, and it isn’t like we need to give him system-wide access or some such nonsense. I trust that Q has done the necessary previous legwork on this cousin, and vaguely remember your predecessor mentioning it to me at one point. It will certainly eliminate a future awkward situation if there’s a chance he could discover the truth of the Paddington family employment history.

 

“As for Q’s other proposal, I think it would be a marvelous idea for 006. By their backgrounds, it appears as though the two would get along rather nicely, and it would certainly prevent Alec from getting too awfully bored, which none of us want. He is too good at what he does to remove from SIS completely, even if he’s no longer needed to or fully capable of performing the duties of a Double Oh. We could even leave his status as is in case we need him for something in the future. God only knows 007 gets himself into enough trouble it’s highly possible we’ll need Alec to go in at some point and assist.”

 

M nodded and turned his attention to his computer. Edward guessed to review the file for himself. Taking a chance, he looked to Q, who was glaring at him.

 

“Ashcroft,” he began only to be cut off.

 

“Seriously, 008, I am beginning to question your intelligence. I do realize that none of the rest of you take me seriously when I speak of the dangers of my brother, but I thought at least that you knew not to believe the nonsense that is spewed from his mouth! I think I am going to have to send you out into the field with 003 to see if he can restore some of your common sense.”

 

Edward’s lips twitched. “Are you sure you want to do that to poor Thomas?”

 

Q huffed and rolled his eyes. “No, I am not. I quite like Thomas. He is the only one of you who knows how to return his kit and does not muck up every one of his missions. Really, Edward.”

 

“You sound more and more like my Mother when you say things like that, Ashcroft.” Edward pointed out with his lips twitching and getting another glare from his favorite cousin. They hadn’t always been close, but once the younger man had joined MI6, they’d had the opportunity to spend more time together and get to know each other better.

 

“One of these days he really is going to send you out into the field with only a water pistol, 008. I am not sure that I would blame him at this rate. Q, I like both of your proposals. I will contact Director Vance with our proposition, and I am going to task you with speaking with this American cousin of yours. 

 

“Make sure you stress that both of your exact positions within SIS, in particular, is not widely known, even within your family. If any other issues arise, I will leave them up to you to resolve. Now, Q and Edward, if you will excuse us, Tanner and I have some things to discuss and I would like to get out of here for the weekend if you please.”

 

The two nodded and offered their goodbyes before leaving. Q informed Edward that he would need to stop at his flat to pack a bag, but after that, he would see him at the family estate. Nodding his understanding, 008 headed to his car to begin the drive back to his family.

 

Later that evening, Tony was sitting in a second library that he’d discovered as he and TJ were exploring the castle earlier that day. After he’d gotten done sniffling all over his Aunt’s shoulder, something he still couldn’t believe that he’d done, the small group had lunch. Tony expected his son to be worn down, but instead the little boy had been too wound up from the newness of it all to lay down, so they’d explored the wing their suite was in.

 

A floor up from their room, they’d discovered a smaller library, which appeared to hold older editions of books and a beautiful piano. Quickly, Tony knew where his favorite hiding place would be. 

 

After getting TJ to fall asleep for the night, Tony grabbed the baby monitor and left the room. He didn’t want to go too far but knew that if he stayed in the suite, his presence would at some point get his son up. The library was the perfect spot, as he could play without being overheard, but he would be close enough that he could get to his son quickly if he was needed.

 

Hearing the door open, he saw his two Cousins enter. Edward had managed to make it back in time for dinner with another Cousin in tow. Used to being entertaining and charming even when all he wanted to do was curl up and hide, Tony flashed a friendly smile. He guessed that Edward at least would be able to read the distrust and wariness in his eyes, but he couldn’t help that.

 

He was more than a little wary of this newest Cousin, who had been introduced as Uncle Clive’s youngest son, and therefore Crispin’s brother. There wasn’t much of anything that he wanted to do with any part of the jackass, but he wasn’t going to be an asshole first. Not to mention if there was anyone who understood not judging someone by their immediate family, it was Tony.

 

Carefully, he put the ribbon between the pages he’d been reading and closed The Complete Works of the Brothers Grimm letting it rest on his lap. Deciding he’d let them show their hands first, he remained quiet looking at the newcomer and ignoring Edward for the moment. He didn’t know what to think of his older Cousin and was hoping that he wouldn’t have to make a decision that evening.

 

“I do confess that I am excited to finally be able to meet you, and I profusely apologize for what a tosser my brother is. I wish that I could advise you he gets better once you get to know him, but I fear that your dislike will only grow. It pains me to say that I believe my brother and your Father may have quite a few things in common, despite the fact that others do not support my beliefs.”

 

Tony cocked his head to one side and smiled something closer to real despite himself. "I can honestly say that is a situation I understand completely. Most people find my Father perfectly charming. It doesn't usually take long for them to decide I am a terrible person for making up stories of my childhood to get attention. After a while you just stop trying, and eventually, you wonder if it's just you. Hell, there have been occasions where I wondered if I really was making things up about Senior. Ashcroft, right?"

 

Q nodded quickly settling in a chair near where Tony was sitting. "Yes, although most just call me Ash outside of work. Do sit down, Edward, and stop lurking. You are not going to right this ship by standing there like some statue in a museum."

 

Tony's lips twitched as he heard Edward sigh, and take a seat on a nearby sofa putting him across from his Cousins.

 

"I have a confession to make," Ash offered drawing Tony's attention back to him. In return, the American just lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head to one side.

 

"I have been monitoring you. My ne'er-do-well brother approached me before Edward, but unlike the stunning genius before us, I told him no. However, knowing the lunkhead of a sibling of mine as I do, I suspected that he would just move onto someone else, and I wanted to make sure that he did not cause trouble for you."

 

Tony frowned as he thought about all the possibilities. "Monitoring what exactly? My work? My phone records and credit card statements? My personal life?"

 

"All of the above," Ash admitted calmly. 

 

"I did not change anything or any such nonsense. You have my word as a gentleman. I just... I was concerned. You are family, and I... well I could not stand by and let Crispin do his dastardly deeds, whatever they might be. I do wish that I knew what nonsense he was up to, but I have thus far been unsuccessful. You have no idea how much it bothers me to have to admit that."

 

"Maybe you're just too close to it," Tony offered absently, as he turned Ash's words over in his head. "You've never met me. Why would you be concerned about me? And, what do you do that you have the ability to do this without attracting attention? Do you work at SIS with Eddie Boy here?"

 

"I do," Ash confirmed. "As I said, you are family, and I know what kind of man my brother is, even if the rest of the family is content to stick their heads in the sand like ostriches. What do you mean I am too close to it?"

 

Tony frowned deeper and eventually sighed. "I'll be honest. The notion of you wanting to look out for me just because we're a family is... well it's odd, and it doesn't make much sense to me. But then I will admit that my experience with family is most likely much different than yours. While I haven't met Aunt Isabella, Aunt Olivia seems awesome, and the kind of mom I wish I had as a kid. My guess is she's never drunk sea monkeys because she thought it was a mint julep."

 

Tony glanced at the monitor when he heard TJ make a sound, but it appeared his son was just talking in his sleep. Smiling fondly, he turned his attention back to the other question. 

 

"He's your brother. There's a reason why an investigator isn't allowed to work a case involving family or friends. It's too hard to be objective. Even when you think they're up to no good, no one really wants to think people they care about are doing truly bad things. If you want to find out what your brother is up to then you need to get someone with no real ties to him to investigate."

 

"Would you do it?" Ash asked making Tony blink not expecting that to be the response.

 

"I mean, I know you are technically related, but despite your fiasco over the loan, you do not have any real connection to him. If it would make you feel better, you could have someone on your new team do the real work."

 

"Do you understand what you are asking me to do?" Tony asked softly. "And, who are you that you have the authority to make such a request?"

 

"I do understand," Ash confirmed, nodding in emphasis. 

 

"I am asking you to stop him from whatever bad things it is that he is doing. I am asking you to check into this before you become too entwined in the family and lose your objectivity. I am asking you to protect innocent people from things my family is too blind to see is happening. 

 

“As for the other, I am the Quartermaster over the MI6 portion of SIS. Edward here is one of our top operatives in our Double Oh program. We call him 008, and I am called Q. Uncle George worked with the MI5 side of the operations for years and was their equivalent of M when he retired. I answer only to M or the Director as you Americans would call him. I will need you to keep this all confidential of course. So, are you willing to help me?"

 

Tony sat back in his chair. His mind racing with the information that he'd been given. His new family were super spies and wanted him to see if his smarmy cousin Crispin was a super villain. This was not the conversation that he'd expected to have tonight when he came down to this room. He’d thought there was a good chance that Edward at least would hunt him down at some point.

 

To be honest, Tony thought that it would be a warning to run back to America and never come back to England, again. This concern for his wellbeing from Crispin’s younger brother was certainly not expected. Although, he was being honest when he said that he understood the position Ash was in. Most people never believed his tales about his Father for long after meeting the man. 

 

Gibbs had lasted the longest, but even he finally was worn down by Senior’s schmooze. Tony had a feeling that Abby had something to do with that as well. Since it seemed she couldn’t understand the concept that Senior might be a bad person. For someone that had professed to be his friend for so long, she certainly had always been quick to believe the worst about him. That was for sure.

 

As much as he hated Crispin, the thought of investigating his family didn’t give him warm and fuzzy feelings. On the other hand, how could he reject him when he truly understood the position the man was in. How many times had he wished that one of his friends would believe the little bits he let slip about his childhood?

 

Looking up at Ash, Tony sighed, and tilting his head to one side, knew what he needed to do. There was really only one answer to that request. No matter what the pros and cons being debated in his head said.

 

 


	6. Meeting the SFA

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##  **Chapter Five:** _Meeting the SFA_

  
  
  
  
Thursday morning, Tony headed into work. Technically, none of them were to report until Monday. However, he wanted to get some things done and needed to start the new investigation into The Calling. His team would have seven people including their Technical Analyst/Forensics Tech and their newly assigned SIS Liaison. 

 

The main team would consist of himself along with Emily Prentiss as his Senior Field Agent. Emily's Mother was an Ambassador, and the woman had grown up overseas. She'd spent quite a bit of time with Interpol, before moving to join NCIS roughly five years prior. Her Mother had wanted her to join the FBI, but wanting to make her own path, Emily had chosen the smaller agency instead. Her international contacts made her a perfect candidate for the team, and the fact that she was completely bad ass made her an ideal SFA.

 

He and TJ had stopped to see Ellie at her new flat just the day before, and he was happy to see her excitement at the new position. He was looking forward to seeing what she could become in this new environment. He had been worried how she’d take the transfer, but fortunately, she’d been very open minded about it. While she was sad that she would be so far away from her family, the chance to live in another country while still learning her craft was something she was extremely excited about. 

 

He had a feeling that she thought maybe Tim’s Probie lessons would be over now that he was on another team. And, while technically that may be true, she seemed to have forgotten who taught Tim those things. Tony looked forward to teaching her his way, and if the superglue came out here and there well… DiNozzo Rule #15 was there for a reason.

 

The last two members of the main team were William Adiyodi, who went by the name Penny, and Duke Crocker. Penny's Father and brother had been in the Navy. Penny had become interested in working for the agency after they helped clear his brother's name when a group on his base tried to make it appear he was the one stealing supplies. Duke Crocker was a former SEAL who went through FLETC when he retired from active duty and then chose NCIS over the CIA.

 

His last member from NCIS was his combination McGee/Abby named Eliot Waugh. From the brief conversation that he had with the man, he may be his new favorite person. Eliot was some odd combination of high society mixed with an eternal frat boy with a sharp wit and seemed to make no apologies for who he was. He had come highly recommended by Dwayne Pride's Forensics Tech Sebastian, which was just about all the recommendation Tony needed.

 

He was sitting in his office with his feet up on his desk staring out over the area where most of the main team would sit. His office was on an outside wall, which gave him a nice view of London and the Thames River. The wall between him and the team was all glass but could be turned completely white with just a touch, which he liked. It allowed him to feel like he was still sitting with the team while giving him his privacy when needed.

 

His desk was large and wooden with an antique feel to it. His back was to one of the shorter walls, and in front of him on the other short wall was a large monitor that would be kept mostly on BBC World News. There were bookshelves to his back, and the outer wall was mostly blank. He needed to get some books and pictures to decorate. He had a large armoire that he had brought in which sat toward the far end of the room with its back to the glass.

 

As he stared out into the open space, he tried to imagine what it would be like when the area was filled with the different personalities of his team. His SIC Emily Prentiss had the option of having an office if she’d like, but could also have a spot on the floor. A part of Tony was a little jealous of that. 

 

He hadn’t expected an office of his own. Gibbs had always been on the floor with them, and he had never heard of any other Team Lead having his own office. But then, he hadn’t expected his team to have their own building, and the office to himself did help him believe Vance really did want him to take over the Europe AD slot once it opened.

 

The basement of their building was divided up between Eliot’s area and the armory. The first floor was mostly empty, with a lobby set up for appearance sake, although the building was a secured entrance. You had to have a badge to get in, and the only person on the bottom floor was a security guard who had a station down there. The second floor was set up as a break room for the moment. It was possible that it would be changed in the future if they expanded. Right then though they didn’t have any need for it, and Tony thought a place to relax could help the team on stressful cases.

 

The third floor was where the team was set up, and the top floor was their secured MTAC area. Ellie had been fully trained to run it by McGee before she left DC, and Tony had been advised both Eliot and Duke knew how to assist up there if needed. 

 

He had just enough on hands on knowledge that he could receive a video call and end one, but was going to get Ellie or Eliot to answer some detailed questions before he dove in. He knew that he could figure it out himself, but despite his degree, the high-tech computer systems still at times intimidated him. He wasn’t Gibbs, though, and had no interest in leaving the technical things for someone else to understand. He had a lot more technical knowledge than he’d previously showed his DC team and figured that it was time to share that.

 

Underneath the basement was an underground tunnel, which they had access to, and NCIS had taken advantage of. That was where they had a gun range, a gym, and a mini morgue if needed. It also had a shower area and a place where they could sleep during long investigations when they couldn’t go home. In the case of an emergency, it could be locked down from the rest of the building. It also had its own secure room that could be activated in emergencies to communicate back with NCIS in DC.

 

It seemed to be a lot for one team, but then this wasn’t a normal team. It was something that he was still trying to wrap his brain around. The confidence that Vance was showing him was a little confusing, but he wasn’t going to question it too much. He wanted to be able to work closely with the man without issues, and was not going to turn up his nose at a chance to do so. They had both changed from the men they were when Vance first started and shipped him off to sea. It was time to put the past in the past. Vance seemed to be offering an olive branch, and Tony wasn’t about to set the thing on fire out of spite.

 

As Tony was watching the bullpen area, he saw the stairwell entrance door fly open moments before his SIC came through carrying a box. They had an elevator, but the entrance to the staircase was closer and more private. He knew that he at least would most often be using the stairs.

 

When Emily noticed him sitting at his desk, she startled and almost dropped her box. The glare that she threw him didn’t stop his chuckles in the least. When the TV changed to the reports of a bombing, though, his attention was drawn away, as he reached for the remote to turn up the volume.

 

Roughly fifteen minutes later, Emily came into his office, carrying a coffee or tea, he would have to learn which one. She paused looking at the television, but when the station went to commercial moved to sit in front of his desk. “Anything that will affect us?”

 

Tony shrugged and turned the volume down before turning his gaze to the woman before him. “Dunno, but maybe. Our first official assignment is to finish tracking down The Calling. They like to blow up things, so it's a possibility."

 

"Official? As in, we have an unofficial case?" Emily questioned relaxing back in her seat.

 

Before responding, Tony stood and closed the door, then tapped on the glass making it turn white. When he got back to the desk, he enabled the room’s sound protocols to ensure that they couldn't be overheard. Even though they were alone, he wasn’t going to start any bad habits by assuming anything. When he was finished, the only change in Emily's expression was the raised eyebrow. 

 

Prentiss was one of the most kickass chicks that he'd ever known. They'd worked together a time or two over the years, and he was thrilled that she was Vance's recommended SFA for him. He knew without a doubt that she could handle anything he threw at her, with the added upside that she’d verbally kick his ass if he went off the rails. While he didn’t expect himself to turn into Gibbs, everyone needed a moral compass at times.

 

"This has to remain between us, and before I can proceed I need you to sign these confidentiality forms." Slipping a manila envelope from his locked drawer, Tony held it out for his SFA.

 

The eyebrow raised further, but she opened it quietly and read before her eyes moved back up to his face. "This is from SIS."

 

"Yes, it is, Ms. Prentiss. Please read and sign."

 

Emily studied him before shrugging and doing as asked. Once done, she placed the papers back in the envelope and resealed it. "My curiosity is peaked."

 

"I don't know what you found out about me when you did your background check on me..."

 

"I never!" Emily tried to protest obviously with mock outrage.

 

Tony just rolled his eyes before continuing. "But my Mother was one of the Paddingtons."

 

Emily nodded seriously, and he continued. "Apparently, my family has a long history of serving the Queen via various government positions but mostly within SIS. My youngest cousin, Ashcroft Roosevelt Paddington, is the current Quartermaster for the MI6 division. He has had some suspicions about his older brother Crispin for quite a while but has never been able to find anything. 

 

“When I suggested that he was too close to it he asked that I investigate. We compromised in the end. I said if I get an off the record request from their Director via Vance I would be willing to assign you and Eliot to the task. My guess is that the request will come in on Monday when I have my first video chat with the Director. I need to know if you feel comfortable with this considering your Mother’s previous status here.”

 

Emily snorted at the question. “My Mother’s previous status probably makes me the perfect person to investigate. I am more than aware of what the English upper crust can get into than anyone else on the team, probably including you.”

 

Tony’s lips twitched with amusement at the statement. “Maybe something similar to the American upper crust?”

 

Emily smirked and didn’t respond. Her twinkling eyes, though, were all the reply that he needed. “I think that Eliot and I will manage just fine. What about The Calling. They’re the ones that shot your former team leader, right?”

 

Tony nodded before speaking. “Yes, we thought that we’d gotten their leader when I killed Daniel Budd. As it turns out, though, he was not the man at the top. So, our hunt continues. I am hoping that our SIS Liaison will be able to give us a jump start on narrowing down who is the head of the snake.”

 

“We’re getting a liaison from SIS?”

 

Tony nodded again, and dug out a folder that Ashcroft had brought to him the night before, and then handed it to her. “Yes, an agent named Alec Trevelyan. He has quite a track record. I think he’ll fit in around here just fine… as long as he doesn’t blow things up.”

 

Emily grinned as she studied what they’d been provided. “Sounds like the life of the party. Do you know anything about the rest of our team? I’m not familiar with any of them.”

 

Tony nodded and dug out the rest of the files passing them over to Emily. “Ellie Bishop came from the DC Major Crime Response Team that I was on. She has a background at the NSA, and I think she’ll do much better here than on a purely investigative team. She’s a little quirky. Don’t be surprised if you find her on the floor surrounded by snack foods. Gibbs was trying to break her of the habit, but as long as we don’t have high-level guests, I am more of a ‘whatever it takes to get the flow going’ kind of leader.”

 

“Is that why there is a pinball game, basketball hoop and other stuff up in the break room?”

 

Tony nodded. “Whatever it takes. You’d be surprised how many times I got an idea about a cold case while playing ball at the Y on a Sunday. Fortunately, my normal game partner works with the BAU at the FBI. So, he understood. Movie references, specific snacking food, Eliot has a couch in his lab that I was informed was a necessity. There’s a meditation area for Penny up on the roof. Duke will probably have his own ammunition locker and has a yoga area near Penny’s meditation spot. And for you Ms. Prentiss…”

 

Tony opened a drawer and took out a black leather box. Holding it out, he smiled at the shock on Emily's face when she took it not expecting it to be so heavy. "That is to be shared with Eliot."

 

The happy squeak that he got when she opened the box told him that his research had paid off. "How did you know... You know what. I don't wanna know, but seriously thank you." 

 

The joy on her face, as she took the little metal Doctor Who King and Companion Queen chess pieces out to inspect them, was really all the thanks that he needed, but he appreciated the words.

 

"This team is important to me," Tony offered quietly. "I wanted to make sure that things started off on the right foot. My old team was as close to family as I thought that I would ever get. When I got the job offer, I hoped that maybe I could have some kind of relationship with the Paddington's, but I wanted this team to be what I'd always believed that my previous one was."

 

"You don't think of them as your family anymore?" Emily asked quietly, letting the box rest on her legs with her arms wrapped around it.

 

Tony sighed and ran a hand over the back of his head. "I'll be honest. I don't know what to think anymore. Crispin Paddington isn't the only person of questionable morals in my family. My Father was not just a criminal, but also a crappy Father. I didn't really understand basic concepts like family and friendship until college when I got to OSU. When I got to NCIS and joined Gibbs' team I thought that I'd finally found a home. But the Paddingtons... I've never felt as accepted by my old team as I did in just one weekend by them. I just... it's all messing with my perception of things a little."

 

"Family can be hard," Emily offered understanding. "There are good families and bad ones. You learn that really quickly when you do what we do. It's been my experience that just because your family situation sucks, doesn't mean you can just stop caring about them. If I were you, I wouldn't rush a decision on your old team. You may find that as time goes by that you find a niche for them, and maybe the distance will make it easier to tolerate some of the bullshit."

 

Tony nodded smiling. "Ready for Monday, Agent Prentiss?"

 

"You betcha, Boss! Europe isn't gonna know what hit it.”

 


	7. New Responsibilities, New Beginnings

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##  **Chapter Six** : _New Responsibilities, New Beginnings_

  
  


It was Monday Morning. Tony was standing in his son’s bedroom doorway watching him as he slept. His head rested on the wooden doorframe, and TJ lay snuggled up almost completely under his blankets. The tip top of both his head and Orso’s, his blue fuzzy stuffed bear, were just barely visible above the blanket top. Tony had given up trying to keep the blanket from riding so high. He knew that if he went in and pulled it down that his son would just scoot down on the bed until he was almost completely covered by the blanket again.

 

As he stood there, he considered all of the reasons why he did the job that he did. None though, were stronger than his son, and the little girl that he’d had to hear screaming as she burned to death when he was in college. Getting justice for the innocent, even if they were part of the problem, was his number one priority. People like Luke Harris left him conflicted. He felt no less driven, though, to get justice for a boy twisted by a sociopath into shooting someone who had only tried to help him, when everyone else said he was beyond hope. Even Tony had felt that Gibbs was just setting himself up for a letdown with that boy, but he’d never imagined that the kid would shoot his boss.

 

Men like Daniel Budd were an evil that Tony wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to fully wrap his head around. Luke Harris was little more than a child let down by the world. Whoever was the real head of this organization was going to go down. Tony would not stop until they were behind bars, and there wasn’t anywhere or anything they could hide behind to escape justice.

 

Monday afternoon found him scanning himself into MTAC with their retinal scanner. He'd considered asking Ellie to join him, but for fuck sake, he had a Ph.D. in Computer Science. He surely could run the controls enough to accept a video call. He wasn't playing the dumb jock here, but it was so hard to drop the act. It had been a part of his personality for so long at NCIS that he was having trouble unearthing the intelligent part of his personality. 

 

He'd planned on bringing Emily with him, but their SIS Liaison had been delayed by a meeting with his Director, M Tony reminded himself. "They call Gareth Mallory M." He guessed that it was not only a 'what you can and can't share' meeting, but also an explanation of Tony's spot in the family in relation to Ashcroft and Edward. Tony really wanted all of this to go well, and suddenly he was feeling the pressure of living up to his own expectations on top of the trust and faith that the Director was putting in him.

 

Heading into the room, Tony went to the board and put in the necessary information to auto-accept the video chat with the Director when it came through. Taking a deep breath, he moved to stand in front of the screen and waited for the chat to come online. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long before Leon Vance's familiar face appeared in front of him.

 

"Supervisory Special Agent DiNozzo," Vance greeted smiling. "It's nice to see you. How are things going? Did you get all settled in?"

 

“Yes, sir,” Tony greeted smiling in return. “TJ and I are settled into our townhouse with a nanny. I reconnected with my Mother’s side of the family that lives here in and around London, and they recommended someone. The Morgans have been working with the Paddingtons for generations, and one of the girls was ready to move onto a charge of her own. Fortunately, she and TJ clicked almost immediately.”

 

Tony gave another smile thinking of his son who was excited for the playground adventure he was going on that afternoon. “As for work, we are also almost completely set up here as well, and our SIS Liaison just arrived as I was coming up to meet with you, sir. I am excited to get to know him. I appreciate you approving the position. I think he will be an asset to the team.”

 

Leon smiled crossing his arms behind his back. “My pleasure, Tony, and I think you can call me something other than sir, don’t you?”

 

“Yes, sir, Director Vance,” Tony replied cheekily getting a chuckle in return. The older man shook his head smiling before replying.

 

“I agree that Special Agent Trevelyan will be a great asset to the team. He has a great deal of experience in international affairs and speaks enough languages that your team should be covered for at least the major countries you will be working in. Before we move onto case things, I thought I would fill you in on what is happening with your old team.”

 

Tony nodded shortly twisting his fingers together behind his back as the director continued. “Gibbs and Ducky have both accepted retirement. Gibbs failed his psychological exam as expected. Palmer has accepted the position of Head ME. SSA Balboa has moved up to lead the MCRT with McGee remaining, once he returns from FLETC.”

 

Vance sighed and shook his head. “He will be retaking some of the ethics courses, and a few other things I felt he needed to revisit. When he returns, he will be closely monitored for a period of six months. His SFA aspirations are off the table once more, and I told him that he’s going to have to prove that he deserves a second chance. He informed me that you and he cleared the air before you left for London?”

 

Tony nodded before explaining. “Yes, Director. I still don’t see that I would be able to have the same brother-like friendship as I had with him before, but as I told him, I am not ruling out us working together someday, again. I am willing to give him a second chance, but he has to earn it. And, I told him as much. He’s also going to have to do it all on his own this time. I plan on being hands off and don’t honestly even intend to monitor the situation. If something changes here, I will see if Special Agent McGee is a fit at that time, and not before.”

 

Vance nodded putting a toothpick in his mouth. “I think that is the perfect way to go about it, DiNozzo. You each need time to gain some perspective and give yourselves a chance at a fresh start. If it’s meant to happen, then it will in its own time. 

 

“Forensics Technician Sciuto put in for some time off following the incident at your apartment, which Agent McGee reported to me, and Gibbs retirement. I have a feeling that we’re going to be losing her, and as much of a value she is to this agency, I am not sure it’s a bad thing. She has three weeks, and then she is going to come back and advise me what her plans are. Now, onto case things…”

 

Tony nodded smiling and pulled out his small notebook to write down important information as he listened. “As you know, you will be working on finishing up the investigation into The Calling, and making sure this time we have the head of that group in custody. I also have an investigation at the Naval Air Station Sigonella I need you to handle. There was an incident between a Petty Officer and two of the Italian Military personnel. One of the Italian Military men later ended up dead, and they’re pointing the finger at our Petty Officer. I need your team to investigate and find out what happened.”

 

Tony nodded seriously as he made notes. “Yes, sir. You have my word we will get to the truth.”

 

“I didn’t expect anything else, SSA DiNozzo,” Vance assured. “Now, lastly, I got a request from SIS Director Mallory about an off the books investigation into your Cousin? Are you comfortable with this?”

 

Tony sighed and shrugged. “I won’t be handling it myself, sir. I have already spoken to both Emily and Eliot, who would be working the investigation together. They each advised that they’re fine with it. To be honest, the request came from Crispin’s younger brother, yes, but he’s also the Quartermaster over at SIS. Frankly, he doesn’t strike me as the type to use his position for underhanded nonsense. He seems genuinely concerned and truly believes that Crispin is doing something illegal that affects not just the UK, but possibly the US, also. So, Emily is going to do her thing, and see if she can discover if his concerns are founded or if it’s just jealousy.”

 

“Very good then,” Vance said nodding once. “You have my approval then. Just make sure you stay out of it in case she does uncover something, and keep me up to date on all three investigations. I’d say good luck, DiNozzo, but you don’t need it. So, instead, I will say prove me right.”

 

Tony nodded smiling, and after saying his goodbyes walked over and ended the conversation. Taking a moment, he closed his eyes, and let out a deep sigh to center himself before heading out to meet his new liaison.


	8. Everything Comes Together

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##  **Chapter Seven:** _Everything Comes Together_

  
  


Tony was in his office with Alec putting up new information on his window on the investigation into The Calling. Another feature he liked in the glass walls of his office was that they could be used to display information they had stored digitally., He was busy putting up their case details so that he would have easier access. He’d been a Supervisory Senior Agent for three months, and they had the case on The Calling for the same amount of time. He felt like there was something big (or small but vital) that they were missing, and was hoping that putting all the info up like this would help.

 

“Alec, what was that alias you found that we think is the leader? I don’t see that in the notes. Can you add it to your case file?”

 

“Bloody paperwork,” Alec grumbled and Tony turned his head to flash an amused smile over his shoulder. The team seemed to be gelling even better than he originally  anticipated, and he was a little afraid to admit how much he really liked the British spy. There was just something about the rogue that called to him. It was like that first time he laid eyes on the family estate and he’d felt like the building was calling his name.

 

That first day when he had come down from MTAC and shook Alec’s hand, Tony felt like he had finally come to some kind of ending. Like, some search he’d been undertaking for ages was finally over. It didn’t take much more than that goddamned smile of Alec’s for him to know what it was. 

 

It was the same one that kept getting the man out of trouble because it made him weak in the knees. There had been a lot of shagging going on between the two of them. Tony was concerned at the beginning and admitted his attraction to the liaison to Vance immediately. Fortunately, his boss assured him that because of how the position was set up, it was a completely different situation from when Ziva had been on the DC team.

 

Alec was less of a team member and more of a SIS agent who had a desk in Tony’s building. While he did have very minimal access to their systems, as Tony ended up having to SIS, it was mostly only to add things to case notes and view information related to NCIS cases that he was assigned to. Plus, every key stroke he made was, with his knowledge, monitored. Tony’s access to SIS was mostly the same. He ended up being listed as a liaison to SIS and mostly used his access to file case-related information, and view records that Ashcroft assigned to him. Everything he did was monitored by both Tanner and Q, which he not only liked but requested. Tony wanted no questions of his actions in SIS systems and knew that Alec felt the same with NCIS.

 

The thing that he liked, loved his mind whispered at him, about Alec was the fact that they did more than just fuck each other’s brains out. There was time spent watching sports, taking TJ around London, and even visiting the family manor. Edward thought the whole thing was equally hilarious and disturbing. TJ thought the Brit was the best thing since sliced bread and had taken great pleasure in introducing him to his Nonna, Nonno, and the various Aunties and Uncles. Despite the fact that Alec insisted he wasn’t good with kids, it hadn’t taken long for him to become wrapped around the little boy’s finger.

 

Seeing the update to the file by Alec, Tony quickly added it to the display and then moved back to sit on the couch next to the SIS agent and study the displayed evidence. “Even looking at all that up there, I feel like we don’t have shit,” Tony admitted, and next to him, Alec just grunted.

 

“I’d bloody love to disagree with you, Love, but I am afraid that I cannot. We have a decent amount of information, but… there’s just some little piece missing. I wish I knew what it was. Let’s talk it out from the beginning. I don’t know how it will help, but it feels like the thing to do.”

 

Nodding, Tony cleared his head, or tried to at least, of the information pertaining to the case, and read aloud the data on the window in front of him outlining what they knew of the man who led The Calling.

 

An hour later, they had nearly talked out everything, when Emily came walking in as if she was a woman on a mission. The two men stopped talking and watched as she walked to the window. It appeared as if she was staring at the personal information they knew about the man, which wasn’t much. They knew his gender was male. They knew that he talked with an English accent, and guessed that he was either born in England or had spent a large portion of his life there. They knew that he used an alias of Dullahan.

 

Tony had researched the word and found out that it was a type of Unseelie Fairy, who sounded like the headless horseman story that he was familiar with. The creature was a headless man or woman who rode around on a black horse carrying its head. Personally, Tony was a bigger fan of Ichabod than the Headless Horseman, so he didn’t really get it. Who would want to be related to some dead dude who rode around on a horse missing his skull?

 

After several long moments, Emily turned and looked at the two men as she pointed to the nickname. “Why is that up there?”

 

“Because it’s one of the bloody few things we have been able to find out for sure about this actual leader of The Calling,” Alec explained.

 

“Where did you get it?” Emily pushed further, and Tony was beginning to wonder if she knew something they didn’t.

 

“Alec and Penny both got the information from separate sources of theirs that they have used in the past. Q then had one of his Double Oh’s float it around to one of his CIs and got the same information back. Why? What do you know?”

 

Emily studied the two men, and then without speaking went over and shut the door to the office, and tapped the window twice to make the glass white, but the information still visible.

 

“Your Aunt Isabella and Uncle Clive had an Irish nanny. She was the only nanny the Paddingtons had ever had that didn’t come from the family that yours comes from, Boss. Q hated her, so she was dismissed not too long after he was born, but Crispin adored her. She spent hours telling him tales of monsters and Celtic Gods and such. 

 

“There was a King named Tighermas, who ruled Ireland about 1500 years ago. The king worshiped a God named Crom Dubh. One of the theories was that Dullahan is the embodiment of this God. According to Q and your Aunt Isabella, the story of Dullahan was Crispin’s favorite, even when he was a smaller child, and he would tell her as a child he would grow up to be Dullahan. He even has a tattoo of the Unseelie Fairy on the back of his right shoulder. This is not a coincidence, Tony.”

 

Tony could hear Emily continuing to speak, but his mind tuned her out as it focused on the information they knew. They had found out about two weeks after he started the investigation again, that The Calling was targeting the SIS Quartermaster. The theory was that he was picked for his position, and they didn’t actually know who he was. He now knew that was wrong. Crispin was targeting both Tony and his own brother. The two family members that he hated the most. He wondered if it was ever about Gibbs, or if making Tony feel his loss was always his end goal.

 

“Alec, get your fucking ass over to SIS and don’t fucking let Ashcroft out of your sight. I don’t give a fuck who orders you otherwise. Call James. Make sure that he knows as well. He already got to Gibbs on my watch. He sure as fuck is not getting to Ashcroft too.”

 

Alec just nodded shortly before running from the room, as Tony continued to stare at the damning evidence, that all made so much more sense. 

 

“Emily, you are now in charge of the investigation into The Calling. I am stepping back from it to prevent any conflict of interest claims. Catch this fucker. I will be up in MTAC filling Vance in.”

 

Fortunately, his SFA just nodded and laid a hand on his shoulder before leaving the room. All he could think was that his family was never going to forgive him.

 

Two weeks later, the investigation was over, and Crispin was dead. Tony was sitting in a car being driven to the manor by Edward so he could inform his family of what happened. He hadn’t slept in more than 48 hours, but things had happened fast, and there just hadn’t been time. He was afraid that it would be a lot longer before he was able to rest his mind. They would have left a couple hours earlier, but Tony had to wait for Duke to return so that he could talk to the man.

 

Emily had called soon after the shot was taken to tell him that Duke had been forced to kill him and that he was sure Tony would never forgive him. Apparently, Crispin was sure that he would become this Headless Unseelie Fairy somehow if he were killed, and had forced their hands. Tony wasn’t sure how they all missed it that Crispin was obviously completely off his rocker, but he knew from experience that some people hid their crazy well.

 

Even though he wasn’t the one to take the shot, Tony felt like Crispin’s blood was all over his hands. Ashcroft had asked him to stop his brother, but despite what Edward insisted, he just couldn’t believe that he was going to forgive this. He had to stand by his agent though. From everything Emily told him, it was a righteous shot and Duke was left with no other  choice. Tony just didn’t know what he’d do when he lost everything again.

 

Once they had a suspect, the rest of the pieces fell into place. Tony had Alec, Duke and the Double Oh go back to their CI’s with Crispin’s picture to see if it matched. They had run all of his cousin’s travel information against the terror acts that they knew were attributed to The Calling. They also discovered that since Daniel Budd’s death, Crispin’s travel itinerary matched almost perfectly. The idiot had actually been going to the sites of the attacks personally to make sure that things went off without a hitch.

 

“We’re here, Tonio,” Edward offered softly, and Tony forced himself back to the present. Turning his head, he saw that they were parked in front of the manor with his Aunt Isabella and Uncle George waiting out front for them.

 

Taking a deep breath, he got out and slowly moved toward the obviously distraught woman who was also moving toward him. The two of them met where the steps met the driveway, putting Isabella almost on Tony’s height. He was waiting for the slap to hit his face.

 

Instead, she threw her arms around him and hugged him right.

 

“I’m so sorry you had to do that, Anthony,” she whimpered. Her voice shaking with the emotion. “I can’t believe that I raised a boy who could turn out so evil. What did I do? How could I…”

 

“No,” Tony interrupted softly but firmly. “This isn’t on you, Auntie. This is all him. Ashcroft is an amazing, loving, caring man, and you raised him too. Some people just… seem to be born that way. I know it isn’t a popular theory, but in my experience, some are just bad from the start. Jesus, I’m so fucking sorry, Aunt Bella.”

 

The older woman just shook her head before cupping his cheek, as her eyes filled with tears, again. Before she could break apart once more, Edward rescued him by gently pulling her into his side and leading her back into the home.

 

Tony though remained standing where he was until George came down to stand in front of him. “You did us proud, Anthony DiNozzo, Jr. You did us proud.”

 

When the family elder put his arms around him, and the tears began to run down Tony’s cheeks, he blamed the exhaustion for crying on another family member’s shoulder. 

 

 


	9. All is well that ends well

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##  **Chapter Eight** : _All is well that ends well_

 

Just over five years later, Tony was pulling up to the front of the Paddington Manor, aka the huge fucking castle he was still trying to get used to, so that they could unload their crap. He’d move the car to the garage later, or someone else would do it. Tony had gotten comfortable with having many servants around over the years since coming to England. Tony grew up  around them as a child and much of the time had been his only friends. So, it hadn’t been a difficult adjustment. While he had others now that he could depend on, he still found himself making sure that he got to know those that made the family’s lives more comfortable.

 

“Tony!” He heard his name being called as he got out of the car and waved to Gibbs as he came out to greet them. It was always a little weird seeing his former boss coming from the family home, but it felt right in his heart. Ducky had died a few years back, leaving Gibbs without someone to watch over him.

 

The two of them had decided to let bygones be bygones and move forward with their friendship. The older man didn’t have anyone else to look after him, and Tony had been contemplating taking him into his own home. When Tony laid out the idea one night at a family dinner while they were visiting the estate, it was his Aunt Olivia that suggested Gibbs come to live with them.

 

They had the room, and they simply hired someone to come live with them to help with the older man’s needs. As the years went by, Gibbs’ memory and PTSD issues had transformed into the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. As Tony’s own career skyrocketed, he found himself missing his mentor and friend. Being a boss himself, he gained some perspective on  the reason why Gibbs may have done some of the things that he did over the years, which helped him to put things behind him.

 

“Uncol Jethro!”

 

Tony grinned as TJ tore from the car, and ran to meet one of his favorite non-blood family members. TJ was another reason that Gibbs had been brought into the fold. During the visits when he and Ducky would come to see them, Tony’s son had become attached to the former Marine, and Gibbs had become equally as attached to TJ.

 

The little boy often got presents and postcards from the pair’s travels around the world. He kept a shoebox of letters that he wrote them while they were out of touch somewhere. He would mail them off once they were going to be staying in one place long enough for mail to reach them. For some reason, his son liked the old-fashioned mail system when it came to communicating with his two non-blood uncles. 

 

Even Tony’s Uncle George had grown fond of the Marine. The two men were known to bond over bourbon and old stories. In Tony’s opinion, as long as the older man was happy, that was all he cared about.

 

“That’s still a bloody weird sight, but he seems to be having a good day.”

 

Tony turned his head and grinned at his husband. Closing the car door, he moved to the back to help Alec unload their things. When he reached the back of the vehicle, though, he stole a quick kiss, earning himself a roguish grin from his heart and soul.

 

The two of them had been married for just over two years, and TJ had begun to call him Papa Alec before they’d even moved in together. Their relationship was full of laughter and passion. While they argued on occasion, and even passionately at times, they had a rule about letting things fester. Alec’s temper was slow to cool, so the “no going to bed mad” thing didn’t work for them. Instead, they had a “things must be worked out within 72 hours” rule, which coincided with an “arguments must never involve TJ” rule.

 

Tony knew there was no way his son would never hear them fighting, but they were as careful as possible to limit what he heard. They also had a “no name-calling” rule that helped keep TJ from hearing any ugliness. Their son was a sensitive soul to go with his bright mind and loving heart. They had him tested the year before, and found out that their son was going to have an IQ on the level of his Uncle Ashcroft’s.

 

Fortunately, Tony’s younger cousin adored TJ and had personally overtaken ensuring that both Tony and Alec understood the needs of a child so bright. While neither of the Fathers was dumb, they also were not as smart as Q, and gladly accepted the advice from someone who had walked down the roads TJ would have to travel someday.

 

Interestingly enough, though, TJ’s absolute favorite two people in the entire universe were his Uncle Edward, who was still single, and Uncle James, who was married to his Aunt Prentiss. It had been a startling revelation, as Tony always assumed that Ashcroft and James would one day settle down together. However, the genius had caught the eye of one Eliot Waugh. Tony was convinced that someday the two of them were going to take over the world. He just hoped that he managed to remain on the correct side of their ire when they did so.

 

Picking the last bag out of the trunk, Tony gave Alec another kiss before heading to the house. The whole family would be there for the long weekend to celebrate, including members of Tony’s original London team, all of whom he was still incredibly close to. After they got things settled in their suite, the two men made their way downstairs into the family library, where Edward, George, Ashcroft, and Olivia were already gathered.

 

“So?” Edward asked the second Tony walked in the door, earning himself a head slap from his Father. “Damned Gibbs.”

 

Tony snorted as he found a seat for himself and his husband. George had decided that he rather liked the former Marine Sniper’s head slaps, and taken to offering those up when he felt needed. Grinning at the eyes watching him, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his new NCIS Identification.

 

“YES! I knew it!”

 

Tony grinned and then laughed as he stood to get hugs of congratulations on his new Assistant Director of European Operations position. Over the years, Tony and Vance had become close. So much so that Leon and the kids would be there that weekend to celebrate with them. Coming with them would be McGee, who would begin his position as Prentiss’ SFA in a few weeks.

 

Tony had been true to his word, and once he found out the promotion was going to be his a little over a year ago, he began looking into how McGee had fared. What he found out was that McGee had managed to pull his head out of his ass, largely in thanks to his spunky and incredibly awesome wife Delilah.

 

She left her position with the Department of Defense, and was going to be going to work for Ashcroft as his new R. The old one moved on, and when Tony heard that Ashcroft was having trouble settling on the right person to replace the man, he suggested that he had the perfect woman for the position.

 

The first meeting between Q and the new R was apparently something made of legends according to the boffins in SIS if Edward were to be believed. They’d butted heads for all of 15 minutes before a magical platonic love fest began that set all the tongues to wagging.

 

Tony knew that Abby had left NCIS shortly after his exit for London. He’d found out from Ducky before his death though that she hadn’t accepted one of the many offers that she regularly received. 

 

Instead one of the Sisters had convinced her to take some time away from everything, and she had moved into their convent for a year to get away from everything. When she surfaced again, according to Tim, her long black hair was now it’s natural blonde color. While she still had some of her Goth trappings, she calmed down a lot from her previous almost manic personality.

 

Sometime during year three of his time in London, she’d shown up requesting to speak to him. It hadn’t been an easy conversation, but a necessary one. The two had gotten a lot of things out in the open. In the end, things were settled between them, although their friendship was over. Tony had never been able to explain why he found Abby’s actions so profound that he couldn’t move beyond them to forge something new, but he just couldn’t.

 

It had been his Aunt Isabella that reminded him some people were not meant to be in their lives forever. Sometimes people were simply meant to come into their life, teach you what they were meant to, and then move on. After thinking her wisdom over, Tony had decided that this was true for his former friend.

 

While he would always cherish the years he had with her, their time as friends had passed. Neither of them were the same people anymore, and their new dynamics just didn’t mesh any longer. He heard that Tim still talked to her regularly, but his Probie promised that he would not be trying to get the two former friends back together. He very much supported their separate paths and had suggested that if Tony was meant to rekindle his friendship with the former lab tech that it would happen in its own time.

 

Penny would be coming with his longtime girlfriend Amelia, and Duke would be arriving with his girlfriend Raven Ramirez, whom Tony had stolen from the FBI, and his boyfriend Nathan Wuornos, who had been in his Unit as a SEAL. They were quite the threesome, and somehow Tony couldn’t imagine Duke without the other two. When Tony moved up the chain of command, he decided to bring Duke with him as an assistant slash problem solver along with Raven and Nathan.

 

Over the years that they’d been together, Tony’s team really had turned into that family he once longed for in DC. As the various connections and friendships developed, he discovered that himself and Duke Crocker were like two peas in a pod, much to everyone else’s frustrations when DiNozzo Rule #15 was activated by one of the two.

 

Vance hadn’t been thrilled that he had hired Duke’s girlfriend AND boyfriend, and had demanded that he separate them. Right up until Tony sent the trio to DC to handle a delicate situation that Balboa’s MCRT wasn’t able to resolve. By the time they got back to England, the situation was wrapped up without causing an International incident, and Vance never mentioned separating them, again.

 

“Prentiss and James will be delayed,” Ashcroft offered as they all settled down again. “James just got back into the country last night from his mission. There was, of course, a snag, because when doesn’t a Bond mission have a snag, and I was informed he needed to shag his wife before visiting the extended relatives.”

 

Tony snorted but managed to cover up his laugh by taking a drink of the water bottle he’d picked up from the table before sitting down. He was terribly happy for Emily and James and thought that they’d made a perfect couple. When he’d heard that they were getting serious, he had sent James a text with Rule #13 - Don’t piss off a woman with a gun. When Ashcroft heard about it, he snorted and suggested James’ missions might have gone smoother if Tony had offered him that piece of advice years ago.

 

“Good ol’ James,” Alec declared proudly getting chuckles from the others. Tony just smiled at his husband as he settled back and turned the conversation to family gossip so he could get caught up on everyone’s lives.

 

When he moved to London, he had big dreams for what might be possible. Somehow, though, life had exceeded even his imagination, offering him not only the things he hoped for, but also the things that he never even dreamed possible. He had a husband who adored him. He had family who had taught him what the word family truly meant. He had a career that he felt complete in and appreciated at. Tony had friends that he knew he would always be able to count on.

 

All in all, things had worked out for him once he answered London’s calling. It had been trying to lure him into its bosom for years before he finally gave in and accepted Vance’s job offer. Now he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

 

There were even whispers that Gareth Mallory was eyeing him to take over for him at SIS when he retired. Tony was mum on the idea when asked about it, but could never resist the secret smile that crossed his face knowing he had information that most of the rest of the world didn’t. Although, he doubted anyone in the family would be too terribly surprised. After all, the Paddington family had been serving Queen and country for generations. Who was Tony to buck tradition?

 

The End!

 


End file.
